Resources

RESOURCES & QUICK HELP TIPS

Like other parts to Tanzania, most of the information travelers need to plan their trip and other activities in Bukoba and Kagera is not formally documented. Sources of information are sketchy and most of the time you may have to go through proxies to access information and services. This complicates planning and potentially exposes you to services that may not suit your needs. Much of the information provided on this blog on directory, hospitality, and spirituality is intended to reduce reliance on proxies by organizing useful information in one place. This page provides additional information you may find useful in understanding Bukoba and Kagera Region and how to operate there.

Bukoba & the People

For people who are not native to Bukoba and travel there for various reasons, it is good to know the culture and customs of the Haya people. While oral sources may be useful to get you around, a more intelligible non-stereotypical outlook of the people and their life is needed. This is important, especially when you are planning to work with people in rural areas for an extended period. In addition, if you are on an academic expedition, written sources are essential for your work. Religious institutions, especially the Catholic and Lutheran Churches have had greater involvement in the life of the Haya people since Germany and British colonial times. These institutions have formal documentation of their activities and operations in different areas of Bukoba. In addition, elders who may be a source of oral knowledge evolved through the work of these religious institutions. Even after independence in 1961, the churches still command a great role in the development of Bukoba and, therefore, command respect from local people. Therefore, in the absence of written documents publicly available in libraries of other information depository, approaching these church institutions for help may get you a step ahead.

There is a document:

Jorgen and Karen Rald (1975). Rural Organization in Bukoba District, Tanzania. Scandinavian Institute of African Studies. Uppsala, Sweden, 123 pp.

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This document covers the life, agriculture, and land use by the Haya people in the then-District of Bukoba as researched by the authors in the period between 1971 and 1975. The district has since then been divided into Bukoba Urban, Bukoba Rural, Muleba and Missenyi Districts. However, despite the administrative reorganization the district that has occurred in the past 45 years, the same people live in the four districts. The document presents a comprehensive account of the life of rural communities in Bukoba and captures well customs and cultural content that is now gradually disappearing. The Haya people of Bukoba and Nyambo people of Karagwe District (present-day Karagwe and Kyerwa Districts) are ethnically similar. Beginning in the mid-1970s when this document was written, there has been a large migration of the Haya people into Karagwe thereby increasing the integration of the two communities. Therefore, this book is also relevant to understanding the life and practice of the Nyambo people in Karagwe.

What to do in Bukoba

When arriving from overseas, Bukoba can be reached through Dar es Salaam at Julius Nyerere International Airport or Arusha through Kilimanjaro International Airport. From both Arusha and Dar es Salaam, there are local flights by Air Tanzania and Precision Air to Bukoba Airport with a brief stopover in Mwanza at the southern shore of Lake Victoria. An alternative travel arrangement is through Entebbe International Airport just across the border in Uganda. Road travel between Entebbe/Kampala and Bukoba is about 300 km and may require a transit visa through Uganda depending on your nationality.

There are varieties of tourist destinations in Bukoba and Kagera Regions which are worthy of visiting alongside National Parks in northwestern Tanzania and neighboring National Parks in Uganda and Rwanda. The Government of Tanzania has recently upgraded former games reserves in Kagera Region into National Parks. They includes, Burigi-Chato, Kimisi, Ibanda, and Rumanyika National Parks. Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) describes these National Park as containing a variety of wildlife including elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, lions, leopards, zebras, giraffes, primates, hippopotamus, eagles and many species of birds and plants. Tour to these areas can be arranged through independent tour operators familiar with Kagera and Northwestern Tanzania, such as  Kiroyera Tours based in Bukoba and Parks Adventures based in Arusha.